Thursday, December 18, 2008

I mentioned about a year ago that there were plans to develop a sitcom based on the life of Lebron James. Well with the help of one O'Shea Jackson, or Ice Cube as most people know him, that dream will become a reality in 2009. According to ESPN's Sam Alipour, the untitled show will be a cross between "Friday Night Lights" and "Entourage", and will debut in either this Spring or Fall.

As reported in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, the Cavaliers superstar has partnered with O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson and ABC for a one-hour drama based on James' experiences as a high school hoops phenom. The series, described as "Friday Night Lights-meets-Entourage," will follow an inner-city 15 year-old prep star who is transplanted to a small town school and forced to come of age while dealing with media pressure, unscrupulous moneymen and the jealousy of his peers.

The pilot script is expected in the coming weeks and, if the network approves, production on the pilot could begin in the spring for a fall '09 premiere. CubeVision and James's newly formed entertainment entity Spring Hill Productions will oversee for the network, while James and Cube will serve as co-creators and executive producers.

"It's a grounded character study of teenage life in small town America, but it's also an exploration of the American Dream and the wish-fulfillment aspect of what his life has become," said Matt Alvarez, President of CubeVision, who pitched the concept and is also an executive producer on the show. "As a teenager, LeBron was dubbed as one of the great ones. Dropping an album as a kid with NWA, Cube could relate to that. They both know what it's like to have success at a young age, and dealing with everything that comes with those expectations."

I was getting ready to bash the idea, but after that description of the character, it actually sounds kind of good. As long as it isn't done too cheesy, I think Lebron and Company might actually have something here. I'll keep you updated so you know when to update your Tivo with the Season Pass.